TUC Congress 2026: Reps speak out on the BBC, AI, reindustrialisation and workplace fatigue

Tuesday was the second full day of TUC Congress 2026. Prospect reps and members in our delegation continued to speak in and vote on several debates throughout the day. Our own motion, motion 74, calling for the TUC to campaign for a closer relationship with the European Union, was also debated and passed.

Prospect delegation at TUC Congress 2026

Congress also heard from the Deputy Prime Minister, Louise Haigh MP, and Prospect delegate Katie Hanson of the Bectu sector had the opportunity to ask her directly about the Government’s proposed cuts to UK science.

Prospect delegate contributions:

Motion 68

Prospect Senior Deputy General Secretary Sue Ferns spoke in support of Accord’s motion 68 calling for a cleaner politics.

This motion is highly topical; last week, £72 million was given to Reform by two wealthy cryptocurrency investors – the biggest political donations in history.

When vast individual donations can outweigh the collective contributions of millions of working people, our democracy is under attack.

Prospect is not affiliated to any political party. But we are proud to have a political fund, because our members deserve a voice in politics. Their collective contributions are fundamentally different from the vast sums provided by Reform’s offshore mega-donors.

Composite 15

Bectu sector member and BBC worker Seynam Kluvitse spoke in support of Composite 15 which called for public service broadcasting and the BBC to be defended.

The BBC is an economic and creative powerhouse that underpins the wider creative industries in the UK and globally. Through its commissioning, training, investment and support for independent production, the workforce at the BBC helps sustain thousands of jobs.

But they are currently under attack from divisive politicians and from job cuts which threaten to reduce the workforce by up to 10%.

The BBC needs a sustainable long-term funding settlement, protection of and investment in its workforce, and freedom from political pressure and stronger protections for its editorial independence.

Motion 74

Prospect President Ele Wade moved our own motion, motion 74, which called on the TUC to campaign for a closer relationship with the European Union.

Britain’s decision to walk away from the EU was an historic mistake, one that weakened our economy, reduced our influence and left working people paying the price. It has also left our national security vulnerable in an increasingly volatile world and an uncertain relationship with the White House.

Europe is not a theoretical issue. It is a trade union issue through and through: about jobs, rights, voice and power.

Debate on AI

Prospect Tech Workers’ Branch and NEC member Sarthak Kumar spoke in a TUC debate on the impact of AI on employment rights, and its specific impact on workers in the creative industries.

While many of Prospect’s members will use and sometimes even be developing AI tools, members still have significant concerns about the potential threat it poses to their jobs, workplaces and sectors. This is especially true for members in our Bectu sector working in the creative industries, who have seen contracts cancelled as their previous output is cannibalised without consultation or compensation.

That is why the development and deployment of AI must be conditional upon worker voice and collective agreement, underpinned by strong public regulation.

Composite 12

Prospect energy sector member Michelle Donnelly spoke in support of Composite 12 on reindustrialisation and procurement.

Reindustrialisation must come hand in hand with weighting procurement in favour of workers, British industry, and local communities. This is especially important for our members in defence, energy and public services, to name just a few.

The new Prime Minister has identified that the root of many of the economic challenges we face as a nation can be traced back to the deindustrialisation of Britain in recent decades. But as the trade union movement, we must be clear that reindustrialisation must be centred around high-quality, unionised jobs.

Prospect fringe

Prospect also hosted a fringe meeting at the end of the day on ‘How the Government can reindustrialise Britain’, where we were joined by Labour MP Yuan Yang. Sue Ferns, Prospect Senior Deputy General Secretary, spoke on the panel about how reindustrialisation must also mean good, unionised jobs across the economy.

Composite 7

Aidan Wright, Prospect energy sector member, spoke in support of this motion on workplace fatigue.

Prospect’s members work in several industries where fatigue is not just a growing issue, but also a serious safety concern. From energy to aviation, defence to the creative industries: this issue cuts across the economy.

As a result, across our membership, Prospect aims to work with employers to improve fatigue policies, but more pressure from the wider union movement and from Government is necessary if we want to move the dial on this issue.

• Catch up on day one of Congress here.
• Catch up on Congress 2026 speeches, reports and more at TUC Congress 2026.